~ the Lightclaw pack ~
Damon helped Talia straighten up her dress before getting out of the car and she assisted him in tucking his shirt properly.
They were just kissing, but somehow with all the hugging and squeezing, their clothes got disheveled.
Talia remembered how about two weeks ago she was in the back seat of a car with Damon, leaving the Red Moon pack, and she was stiff while he held her to lean on him with an order to sleep, yet now she couldn't get enough of him. At that time, she thought that Damon smells nice, but now she was painfully aware of his taste. It's the dark chocolate… smooth, rich, mysterious, and extremely addictive, fitting Damon's image perfectly, and Talia feared that one day she might eat him for real.
The driver opened the door for them when Damon knocked on the window, signaling that they are ready, and one Omega was already waiting with their suitcase in his hands.
"Please, this way Alpha Damon and Miss…", the Omega said with a low bow and gestured toward the packhouse that was down the gravel path.
There was no paved road that would lead all the way to the packhouse, and this last stretch had to be crossed on foot.
Damon alighted first and gave his hand to Talia. She put her hand into his naturally and she was surprised to see the male Omega dressed up neatly in a white short-sleeved shirt and black pants.
Normally, female Omegas will help around the packhouse while Omega males do dirtier maintenance jobs.
The moment Talia put both of her feet on the ground, Damon's left hand snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him in a possessive hold until their hips touched, and Talia's heart skipped a beat.
They never walked this close, and there were people watching.
She looked up to him to see his unreadable stern expression directed toward the packhouse and she bit the inside of her lip while wondering if she is the only one impacted with this unexpected closeness in public.
Talia was not sure what to do with her right hand. A few steps later, she decided to hook her thumb at the back of Damon's pants, and he hummed in approval.
Damon told Talia that Alpha Magnus is an old-fashioned man, and the scene in front of them confirmed it.
The main entrance was in the middle of a two-story-high brown brick building that had curved corners and some areas were sticking out asymmetrically, looking almost like it was created by mashing several dwellings together and then repainted in brown to look like one. There was a long one-story high building stretching on the right that looked like an extension that was added later.
Damon saw Talia observing the building curiously, so he explained, "The main building is for common areas and office space." He gestured toward the one-story high extension. "Bedrooms are there."
Talia was surprised by this. "Alpha's family is on the ground floor?"
Damon gestured toward the roof. "The attic level has several suites for the Alpha's family."
Talia realized that Damon was knowledgeable about this packhouse, so she continued probing, "Where are Beta and other high-ranking members staying?"
"There are other buildings in the back. The rumor is that there are underground passages connecting important buildings around the packhouse, but only the main figures in the Lightclaw pack know if that's really true…"
Talia found this interesting. Every pack had a different style of living, and she was eager to see how others are managing it.
She wanted to ask Damon if she can go and visit Alpha Maddox and Axel, but she had a feeling that Damon might flip, so she took a mental note to ask him later when the timing is better. Besides, there was still much to discover about this place.
The neatly trimmed lawn was on both sides of the narrow path they walked on, and the moment they stepped inside, they were greeted with a lot of wood. Dark red wood was covering the floor, ceiling, walls, everywhere.
The lights were electrical but shaped like candles. All that paired up with tan-colored heavy curtains draped at the top of the windows gave the interior of the packhouse a vintage feel.
On the far end of the entry hallway, Talia could see numerous Omegas, males and females, moving busily while carrying plates, flowers, balloons, streamers, and some had dusters and cleaning cloths in their hands. It was obvious they were preparing for the party that will start in a few hours.
They were all wearing white shirts and black pants (or skirts) and Talia understood those are uniforms the Omegas of the Lightclaw pack are wearing, at least in the packhouse, while on duty.
"Alpha Damon!", an older man greeted them enthusiastically and his hand was extended for a handshake from five steps away. "I am so glad you could make it.", he said while shaking Damon's hand.
"Thank you for inviting us, Alpha Magnus.", Damon responded.
"It's our pleasure." Alpha Magnus glanced at Talia. "And who is this beauty by your side?"
Damon puffed his chest, like a peacock when showing off. "This is Talia."
"Nice to meet you, Talia.", Alpha Magnus extended his hand toward her, and Talia shook his hand gingerly.
"Same here, Alpha Magnus."
Alpha Magnus cocked an eyebrow. "Not big on flattery, are you, girl? When I heard that Alpha Damon is coming with a date, I thought you might teach him some manners, but I guess I was wrong."
Talia glanced at Damon nervously. Was she supposed to flatter the man? Why didn't he tell her in advance? Did she mess up something? And why was the old guy still holding her hand? She tried getting it out discretely, but the old man's grip intensified, and Talia couldn't budge.
Damon narrowed his eyes at Alpha Magnus. He knew that the old guy was testing him.
For werewolves, everything is a competition, especially for Alphas who have a need to always be at the top.
Damon put his hand over Magnus's and pried Talia's hand out of his hold.
"I reached an age where it's difficult to learn new tricks.", Damon said stiffly while patting invisible dirt from Talia's hand. "You should know not to touch my woman for longer than necessary. Did your eyesight worsen with age, and you can't see that she is not a little girl? What will your wife say?"
Alpha Magnus stifled an awkward laugh. "It was just a handshake."
"I will trust you this time. But I won't be so forgiving if it happens again.", Damon's voice was dangerously low.
Talia pressed her lips into a line while wondering what's with this situation. Didn't Damon tell her that he and Alpha Magnus are on good terms? Why did it look like they were about to fight? She didn't understand the reasons, but she was definitely feeling the stiffness. If this was a good relationship, Talia didn't want to see how Damon was interacting with his enemies.
She saw Damon with Alpha Maddox and Axel, and even though they were not bosom buddies, the atmosphere was much lighter than this.
Alpha Magnus looked at Talia inquisitively and it appeared like he was about to say something, but then he turned to Damon. "I'm glad you are here early. Can you spare some time to talk with Tony and give him some tips? Now that he found his Luna, I will start the process of handing him the pack, and I'm sure you have loads of valuable experience to share with him."
Damon didn't believe that Alpha Magnus was ready to let go of his position as an Alpha.
His son just turned twenty years old, and the old guy still had a lot of vigor in him. The Lightclaw pack was stable and pack members followed their Alpha. Why would he give it up and become no more than an Elder?
But the biggest reason why Damon doubted Alpha Magnus's words was that the old guy enjoyed the position he had.
Every Alpha thrives on power, however, Alpha Magnus is one of those old-school guys whose eyes lit up in delight when others bow to him. Standing above others who are submissive is like a drug, nearly impossible to let go of.
In Damon's opinion, even if Alpha Magnus was willing to step down so that his son takes over as the Alpha of the Lightclaw pack, Damon was confident that Alpha Magnus would be pulling the strings and his son would be an Alpha only in name.
The problem with this is that werewolves don't do democracy. Two (or more) people at the head of the pack would create factions and weaken the pack.
But that was none of Damon's business.
Damon had no issues chatting with Anthony, but he didn't want to leave Talia. "We just reached here. Give us some time to rest, will you?"
"Sure, sure." Alpha Magnus gestured toward Omega who was standing on the side and holding the suitcase. "Follow him to your room and let me or Tony know when you are ready."
Damon hummed in agreement and paused. "The thing I asked you for. Did you arrange it?"
"You will need to ask my Luna about it…"
